Living Car Free - People offering rides

I rarely ask other people to give me a ride anywhere. But I get a lot of ride offers anyway, right out of the blue. What's up with that?

Simply ppl assuming that you'd need it since you don't have a car. It's just a difference between 2 cultures that think differently. Maybe they assume you live farther then you do. Or it may be hard for some drivers to imagine riding any longer then 5 miles.

They are trying to help you out, thank them and simply say you'd rather ride. :)

"Hey, it's no problem, I can fit your bike in the car too. I'll just fold down the seats here.. wait, you can take the wheels off right? Hold on a sec, just let me re-arrange some of this stuff. It should fit right in...

do you have any bungee cords?"

The look on some people's faces when I tell them I bike 5 miles to work can be rather amusing. You'd think I was doing an ultra-marathon or something.

Get an Xtracycle and start offering them rides back. I had a new beetle owner offer me a ride. She noted that she had a roof rack. I was riding the Xtracycle, whose wheelbase isn't a whole lot shorter than the bug's. I found this amusing, but she wasn't joking. I have since been told that she was probably offering a different kind of ride, which is a new idea to me.

I used to work in a place where I was the only bike commuter. At the time, my commute was only four miles, but coworkers were frequently stopping by the office to offer me a ride home, especially during bad weather. I know they were being sincere and their offers were out of concern for me, so I always made sure to thank them for the offer. Then I would point out that when I elected to become a car-free bike commuter, I made a commitment to myself not to impose a burden on others to give me rides on days that were not the best for cycling. We parted with an understanding that if I ever really needed a ride, all I had to do was ask. I still live by that code. It's been over seven years and so far I've not taken anyone up on the offer.

I tend to follow the "freegan" approach — I don't want to pay for the gas, the car, or the dead bodies in Iraq or the Gaza Strip, but if they're offering, sure. I don't usually eat too much dairy or cheese, but if it's in something some one has given me, or cooked especially for me, then I'll do it. Same with driving. I hate the idea of the car culture, but if I'm tired, or it's late and I've got a flat, or they want to do something later, then fine.
But then again, I'm pretty mean looking sometimes, and don't get offered a ride too often. And when I do get offered a ride, it's for reasons I hadn't thought of, so I'd best be taking said ride.

I don't want to pay for the gas, the car, or the dead bodies in Iraq or the Gaza Strip,


Hey, I like to congratulate myself as much as the rest of you on not owning a car, but let's not let it get out of hand, eh?

Here in Southern California the "Car Capital of the World," people who ride bikes, use public transportation, car pool, taxis, or simply don't choose to own a car for any reason is considered a loser and usually ignored, become a pariah, or face permament under or unemployment by the same culture who pays lipservice to support for different lifestyles that don't fit the American middle class ideal-or at least an illusion to it.